ARTSBEAT; No Candidates for This Washington Debate

By DAVE ITZKOFF

Published: September 19, 2012

The debate, called "The Rumble in the Air-Conditioned Auditorium," will take place at the Lisner Auditorium on the campus of the George Washington University and is to be moderated by E. D. Hill, a television anchor who has worked for both CNN and Fox News. Tickets for the event can be purchased at the auditorium's box office and at lisner.org, and the live Internet stream can be ordered for $4.95 at therumble2012.com.">

The election season has added another debate - one less likely, perhaps, to determine the next president of the United States, but with greater chances of intentional hilarity and use of the word "pinhead." Bill O'Reilly, the Fox News personality and host of "The O'Reilly Factor," and Jon Stewart, the satirist and anchor of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show," will face each other in a 90-minute contest of mental nimbleness and verbal dexterity, to be held in Washington on Oct. 6 and broadcast on the Internet, its organizers said.

The debate, called "The Rumble in the Air-Conditioned Auditorium," will take place at the Lisner Auditorium on the campus of the George Washington University and is to be moderated by E. D. Hill, a television anchor who has worked for both CNN and Fox News. Tickets for the event can be purchased at the auditorium's box office and at lisner.org, and the live Internet stream can be ordered for $4.95 at therumble2012.com.

Though Mr. Stewart and Mr. O'Reilly agree on few issues, if any, the two broadcasters have appeared on each other's television shows in the past, in a spirit of collegiality and frenemy-ship.

In a statement, Mr. Stewart said: "I'm excited to debate Mr. O'Reilly. I believe this will be a very enjoyable night for fans of our programs, political junkies, partisans and people who just enjoy yelling."

Mr. O'Reilly said in the statement: "I had no idea my agent signed me up for this. How can I get out of it?"

This is a more complete version of the story than the one that appeared in print.

PHOTOS (PHOTOGRAPH BY PETER KRAMER/KRAPE, VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS)

The debate, called "The Rumble in the Air-Conditioned Auditorium," will take place at the Lisner Auditorium on the campus of the George Washington University and is to be moderated by E. D. Hill, a television anchor who has worked for both CNN and Fox News. Tickets for the event can be purchased at the auditorium's box office and at lisner.org, and the live Internet stream can be ordered for $4.95 at therumble2012.com.">